Wishing everyone a Happy 'Random Acts of Kindness' Day! I want to share with you a very random experience that I had yesterday which has given me a new perspective on life : I was travelling home on the train after visiting a close friend I hadn't seen in a long time. I spotted a man sitting alone on the opposite side of the train. He seemed distressed and upset. He was clearly drunk and had a can of alcohol hidden in his pocket. I was a bit nervous of this person, but with train inspectors walking up and down the aisle regularly, I felt safe. So taking a leap of faith, I offered him cookies. He refused but seemed grateful for the offer. I asked him was he okay. He told me his life story of how his wife passed away two years ago, that he turned to drinking for comfort. He broken down crying and admitted how heartbroken he was that she was gone. I was in shock of the vulnerability of this man. I emphathised with him, told him I understood his heartbreak as my grandmother passed away a year ago. I found out that he had worked as a fisherman for years. He completely opened up, talking to me like an old friend, he smiled as he remenished about old times, we even laughed and shared jokes. His phone died, I offered him my charger. The boy sitting across from me rang his friend and said "you won't believe me, this train journey feels like a movie". I offered that boy cookies too. I could see another boy on the same carraige reading a book called 'The Power of Habit'. He seemed to be listening into the conversation I was having with the drunken man. He looked over and smiled when we laughed and joked, or when the man's slurred drunken words made no sense and I'd brush it off and continue chatting to him. Before I left the train, the drunken man shook my hand, thanked me for 'listening to his nonsense' and that 'God put kind people like me on this world for a reason'. From this experience, I have learned the following: "Don't judge a person's story by the chapter you walked in on". "People need compassion far more than they need our judgement". "Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around". I don't think I've changed this alcoholic's life by any means, as he may continue his negative practices. However, I think that perhaps through my actions, I would like to think that I made his day a little better and gave him a little bit of hope for the future. I want to continue to live a happier life, to be kind💙🌻

Posted by Eimear123 at 2020-02-18 00:19:07 UTC